Chery slammed home a monstrous fast-break dunk to bring the home crowd to its feet, punctuating a 17-0 third-quarter run that propelled MKA to a 68-55 win over Montclair High.

Paced by four starters in double-figures, the Cougars (10-7, 5-4 Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division) found all the right answers in the third frame as they avenged a loss at Montclair High last month.

"It was a great win, a division win, and [MHS] had their whole crowd here, so it was nice," said Chery, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half, and had an enormous day on the boards, scooping 20 rebounds. "We've talked about being more aggressive, especially on defense, and we know we can go on these runs."

Versatile Max Nelson led MKA in scoring with 19 points, followed by Kevin Brown (15), Jon Rubenstein (14) and Chery.

Montclair (7-10, 3-6) was led by 15 points from Cortez Rawls, who caught fire from deep in the first half against MKA's 2-3 zone, and 14 from Chris Mortimer, who was also excellent as a distributor out of the high post.

Tied at halftime, the Mounties took their final lead, 31-29, on Darius Dorsey's spinning layup to open the third quarter; from there, it was an MKA blitz.

Behind Chery and Brown, their scintillating junior point guard, the Cougars got into a spectacular offensive rhythm. And with shots beginning to fall, the Cougar press kicked into high gear, harassing Montclair's ball-handlers up and down the court.

"Our energy level was great all game," said MKA coach Tony Jones. "Montclair handled the pressure really well in the first game, and in the first half today. But for a team like us, we have to stay with that pressure and adjust as the game goes on."

The Cougars used a 17-0 run to expand their lead to 51-33 with 1:36 left in the third, including four baskets in a span of 37 seconds capped by Chery's fast-break dunk.

"It's just euphoric [to go on a run like that]," Chery said. "It's just amazing because you know when you pass the ball, you can turn back and go on defense because you know the shot's going in."

Tahlik Summers kept MHS close with a pair of 3s early in the fourth, but costly turnovers and missed free throws kept Montclair from coming any closer than nine points in the final frame.

It had been a good start for Montclair, particularly in generating good shots in rhythm against MKA's half-court zone.

The Mounties hit five 3-pointers in the first half, the last of which coming from Rawls with 4:40 left before the break, giving MHS its largest lead of the day at 25-16.

But fed by six points from Nelson and better defensive intensity, the Cougars climbed all the way back into a 29-29 tie by halftime.

In the second half, that intensity turned up even a few more notches, earning MKA a fair split in this healthy cross-town rivalry for the second straight year.

"It's so nice to have two high schools in the same town who play each other," Jones said. "We relish the opportunity to play them, and I think they feel the same."

Up next

MKA is scheduled to host Science Park Saturday at 1 p.m. before a long road trip on President's Day; after Sunday's 56-55 win over Princeton Day, MKA will visit Doane Academy of Burlington in the semifinals of the Prep B Tournament (Monday, 5 p.m.). Livingston then visits Lloyd Road on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Montclair, meanwhile, will host East Orange in a makeup game Saturday at 1 p.m. before playing at EO Tuesday night.

Both teams will learn their NJSIAA Tournament fates when the official seedings are released Friday; the state tourney begins March 3.

Boys basketball: Chery, Brown help MKA earn season split with Montclair High

Josh Chery has talked about needing to be a more aggressive presence for the Montclair Kimberley Academy boys basketball team, and he set a pretty strong example Tuesday afternoon.

Chery slammed home a monstrous fast-break dunk to bring the home crowd to its feet, punctuating a 17-0 third-quarter run that propelled MKA to a 68-55 win over Montclair High.

Paced by four starters in double-figures, the Cougars (10-7, 5-4 Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division) found all the right answers in the third frame as they avenged a loss at Montclair High last month.

"It was a great win, a division win, and [MHS] had their whole crowd here, so it was nice," said Chery, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half, and had an enormous day on the boards, scooping 20 rebounds. "We've talked about being more aggressive, especially on defense, and we know we can go on these runs."

Versatile Max Nelson led MKA in scoring with 19 points, followed by Kevin Brown (15), Jon Rubenstein (14) and Chery.

Montclair (7-10, 3-6) was led by 15 points from Cortez Rawls, who caught fire from deep in the first half against MKA's 2-3 zone, and 14 from Chris Mortimer, who was also excellent as a distributor out of the high post.

Tied at halftime, the Mounties took their final lead, 31-29, on Darius Dorsey's spinning layup to open the third quarter; from there, it was an MKA blitz.

Behind Chery and Brown, their scintillating junior point guard, the Cougars got into a spectacular offensive rhythm. And with shots beginning to fall, the Cougar press kicked into high gear, harassing Montclair's ball-handlers up and down the court.

"Our energy level was great all game," said MKA coach Tony Jones. "Montclair handled the pressure really well in the first game, and in the first half today. But for a team like us, we have to stay with that pressure and adjust as the game goes on."

The Cougars used a 17-0 run to expand their lead to 51-33 with 1:36 left in the third, including four baskets in a span of 37 seconds capped by Chery's fast-break dunk.

"It's just euphoric [to go on a run like that]," Chery said. "It's just amazing because you know when you pass the ball, you can turn back and go on defense because you know the shot's going in."

Tahlik Summers kept MHS close with a pair of 3s early in the fourth, but costly turnovers and missed free throws kept Montclair from coming any closer than nine points in the final frame.

It had been a good start for Montclair, particularly in generating good shots in rhythm against MKA's half-court zone.

The Mounties hit five 3-pointers in the first half, the last of which coming from Rawls with 4:40 left before the break, giving MHS its largest lead of the day at 25-16.

But fed by six points from Nelson and better defensive intensity, the Cougars climbed all the way back into a 29-29 tie by halftime.

In the second half, that intensity turned up even a few more notches, earning MKA a fair split in this healthy cross-town rivalry for the second straight year.

"It's so nice to have two high schools in the same town who play each other," Jones said. "We relish the opportunity to play them, and I think they feel the same."

Up next

MKA is scheduled to host Science Park Saturday at 1 p.m. before a long road trip on President's Day; after Sunday's 56-55 win over Princeton Day, MKA will visit Doane Academy of Burlington in the semifinals of the Prep B Tournament (Monday, 5 p.m.). Livingston then visits Lloyd Road on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Montclair, meanwhile, will host East Orange in a makeup game Saturday at 1 p.m. before playing at EO Tuesday night.

Both teams will learn their NJSIAA Tournament fates when the official seedings are released Friday; the state tourney begins March 3.